Canadian police make third arrest in alleged 'terrorism' case

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian police seeking to break up what they describe as a “terrorist” cell have made the third in a series of arrests in the case, a police official said on Monday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Suliman Mohamed, 21, was charged on Monday with “participation in the activity of a terrorist group.”

He was alleged to be planning to conspire with Ashton and Carlos Larmond, 24, twin brothers detained days before and charged with a number of unspecified “terrorism offences.”

Carlos Larmond was arrested at Montreal airport last Friday while trying to leave Canada while Ashton was picked up in Ottawa, in the populous central province of Ontario.

A lawyer who represented the twins as of Saturday could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.

Police in many countries have been on alert for potential threats after the killing of 17 people by Islamist militants in France last week.

“These recent arrests underscore the reality that there are individuals in Ontario and in Canada who have become radicalized to a violent ideology, and who are willing to act upon it,” RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said in a statement.

Police said the Larmond brothers had planned to leave Canada “to engage in terrorist activity overseas”. The two men - now in detention - are due in court on Feb 12.

Neighbors said the brothers had converted to Islam, local media reported. The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for more information about Monday’s arrest.

Canadian authorities have been on enhanced alert since October, when a gunman shot dead a soldier in Ottawa, then stormed into Parliament.

Police say they have investigations into 90 high-risk suspects who have either returned from helping foreign militant groups or who are planning to go abroad.

The man who attacked Parliament, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, died in a gunfight with police and security guards. He struck two days after Martin Rouleau, also a Muslim convert, ran over and killed a Canadian soldier in Quebec before being shot dead by police.